Somebody To Love
by stephanever
Summary: Set during "Wheels". Quinn is starting to push Finn further and further away until all he has left is Rachel.
1. Rehearsal

FINN

Finn looked down at his large hands placed gently on Rachel's back. Had she always been so tiny? Maybe she'd shrunk. Old ladies have been known to shrink and Rachel was wise beyond her years so maybe she'd shrunk too. He shook his head quietly to himself as he realised how insane he sounded. Of course Rachel hadn't shrunk, he'd just grown even taller. But she was miniscule, he felt as though he could crush her like a porcelain doll with just a little more effort.

He felt her pull away from him, looking up into his eyes with a puzzled look on her face.

"What? What did I do?" He worried for a second that he might've been accidentally talking outloud.

"Oh nothing, you just kind of... tightened. Is something wrong?" Rachel looked worried. She had that look on her face far too often these days and Finn was constantly kicking himself for it.

"Oh right. I was just thinking about how easy it would be to crush you like a bug." He panicked when he realised he'd done what he always does and blurted out whatever was on his mind at that moment, but Rachel just laughed.

"We can't all be ten foot giants you know." She walked back over the piano, still smirking to herself.

Finn had been ever so grateful to Mr Shue for the choreography for the new number. He loved nothing more than singing a slow ballad with Rachel and ending it with a hug was just the icing on the cake.

"I think we should work on your range a bit more." Rachel barely grazed the piano and a high B resounded out over the auditorium. Finn's responding note was a perfect match and he surprised himself by how easy it had become to reach it. He'd come so far since he first joined Glee club, mostly due to Rachel.

He looked down at her sitting at the piano and smiled. If he leaned over just a little further he knew he'd get the perfect shot right down her top... but he didn't. Being a pervert never helped anyone. But her boobs did look smokin' today and maybe he'd earned himself a little reward for being practically note perfect during their rehearsal.

He had to shake his head to reel his mind back out of the gutter in time to realise Rachel had asked him a question and was looking up at him expectantly.

"Um nothing. Why?"

Rachel took a deep breath and he realised she was about to launch into one of her mile a minute speeches, "I've just been thinking about how much it can help your learning process to practise in different locales. The accoustics in my bedroom are absolutely perfect for helping to expand your range, you can really hear the tone in your own voice and, well, I hand picked my room when my dads bought the house so I could be sure of that very thing and I thought maybe if you could hear yourself singing the song there that you'd feel better about how well you're doing."

She stopped to breathe and looked down at the piano slightly flushed. He smiled again, ready to accept her invitation before remembering an earlier promise.

"Shoot, I just remembered I'm supposed to go job hunting after school, Quinn needs money for... some kind of baby stuff and I haven't been able to help her at all." He started to backtrack when he saw her face fall at the mention of Quinn and the baby, "But then again I went out before school this morning, apparently Wal-Mart are looking for a new greeter and I consider myself to pretty good at greeting so I think I can blow it off just this once."

Rachel's eyes lit up and they shared a smile before she turned back to the piano.

* * *

RACHEL

She wasn't exactly sure what she expected to happen this afternoon but that didn't mean she wasn't going to look her best. You should always look your best when you have company and it'd be foolish to make an exception just because it was Finn. She looked around her room for the thirtieth time, making sure it was neat and nothing was out of place, and went back to brushing her hair.

Rachel had never considered herself to be the kind of girl who would steal a man away from his pregnant girlfriend. She was better than that. But she had convinced herself that this situation wasn't the same. She had heard about the way Quinn spoke to him these days, constantly berating him for not having a job and behaving as though he should fall at her feet. It was becoming more difficult to feel sorry for her when she had to listen to stories of the way Quinn treated him.

Rachel sighed and pulled her hair out of her eyes so she could apply her mascara. She wasn't expecting Finn for another thirty minutes but she felt she should always be prepared. She let her mind wander back to all the moments they had shared together. Yes, it's true that she had enjoyed the kisses but they hadn't meant as much to her as the other, more precious moments. When he had finally admitted to having feelings for her. She'd been so angry at that time, reeling from having just found out about Quinn's pregnancy, that she hadn't taken it in. Only later in the safety of her room had she allowed herself to mull over their conversation and realised what he had really been saying. He **does **have feelings for her.

There was a soft knock at the door and she got up from her seat in time to see Finn's hulking frame come lumbering, rather ungracefully, into the room.

"Your dad let me in. I didn't even get a chance to knock before he thrust the door open in my face, it's like he was waiting for me..." He scratched the back of his head nervously as he realised what he might've burst in on. He was twenty minutes early and hadn't even considered the idea that she might not be dressed. Thankfully she was.

"Yeah, he does that. He's rather overprotective at times but I'd take it as a compliment that he let you come up into my room without an escort." She couldn't help but notice how flushed Finn was looking. He must've run to her house all the way from school after football practise to be so early.

"Do you want to run through the number or warm up first?" She stood poised between her keyboard and her CD player, waiting for a response. A full minute ticked by before he said anything.

"Can we just talk for a sec?" He looked nervous as he went and sat on the end of her bed. A flicker of confusion flashed across Rachel's face before she regained her composure and sat down beside him.

"I'm worried about Quinn." An awkward silence hung in the air after his words as Rachel waited for him to say something else. When he didn't she turned to look at him and saw the pained expression on his face.

"She's okay right? And the baby, I mean nothing's gone wrong has it?" Guilt coursed through Rachel as she realised how insignificant most of her problems were next to those of a pregnant teenager.

"No, they're fine. I mean the baby's fine. It's just Quinn... she's always so angry at me and I don't know what I've done wrong. You didn't tell anyone about what happened at the bowling alley did you? Things were going so well between us but since then she's on my case every day and I can't sleep or eat or do anything without worrying." Finn looked into Rachel's eyes with earnest. She scanned his face for any sign of regret but found only fear. Did he regret what had happened between them? While she was aware that he'd been using his power over to her in an attempt to lure her back to Glee, they both knew that kiss was real.

"I haven't told anyone, I would never..." She held back the lump in her throat. Why was he suddenly accusing her? This wasn't turning into the carefree rehearsal she had planned for.

"I'm sorry, don't worry about it. I was just trying to figure her out but it's probably all the crazy pregnancy hormones messing with her brain or something. It'll get better once I've got a job." Finn seemed to relax next to her and Rachel allowed herself to be calm again.

"So... the number?" Finn smiled at her this time and nodded as she went over to the CD player and started the track.

* * *

**AN: **Hi :) This is my first fic so it's a little raw at the moment but bear with me, I assure you it gets better!


	2. Complications

FINN

It was becoming more and more difficult to tune her out. Was she shouting at this point? He hadn't been listening for the past ten minutes but he did hear 'job' and 'money' come up several times. It's really not his fault that he's too tall to be a bus boy and Wal-mart had told him he was too miserable to be a greeter. That's what he gets for going to an interview just after having been berated by his girlfriend for the good part of an hour.

"Are you even listening to me? Finn, open your damn eyes!" Crap, he hadn't even realised he'd closed them. Quinn was staring up at him furiously, slamming books into her locker.

"Yeah, I'm listening. Get a job. I got it." Finn sighed, then instantly regretted it. If looks could kill...

She stormed off without a word. She had been doing that a lot lately and he was finding himself less and less bothered by it. Where had it all gone wrong? Glee. He knew that. The second he joined his life had been flipped upside down. Everything was wrong now but he knew there was no going back. Glee might have been the catalyst that had messed it all up but it had become his whole existence since then. The one and only thing he looked forward to when he woke up each morning. He knew a big part of that was due to Rachel, and was finally able to admit to himself that he probably would've quit long ago without her there, but he wasn't ready to address why he felt that way. Life was already complicated enough.

He felt someone smack him on the back of the head and spun round ready to defend himself again Karofsky or whoever else had decided to attack him that day.

"Dude, chill." It was just Puck. He'd been _playfully_ hitting him a lot lately and sometimes Finn wondered why his punches seemed to be getting less playful and more forceful.

"We need you to buy beer again, Mike said that dude down at the 7-Eleven figured out his ID is fake and next time he'll get busted." It wasn't a question, it was an order. Nobody ever asked Finn anything any more, they just told him what to do and expected him to do it.

"Why can't you do it? I don't even drink the stuff, it gives me headaches." Finn was already bored, hoping to end the conversation quickly and get to Spanish. He didn't have to think in Spanish, all he saw were strings of random letters that supposedly made up words that he didn't understand. Puck rolled his eyes dramatically.

"He trusts you Finn, you've got that whole honest face thing going on, not to mention how freakishly tall you are. We'll be there at 7." And with that, Puck just wandered off, without even bothering to wait for a reply.

Finn had the sudden urge to slam his fist into a locker but decided against it. Reluctantly.

* * *

RACHEL

Finn was late for Glee club. Again. Mr Shue had already gone through all his warm ups and started rehearsing the choreography before he scrambled through the door, out of breath, apologising profusely.

Rachel was pretty happy about the way things had been going with Finn. Okay, so he didn't sit next to her in Glee any more but she had the feeling that Quinn would quite literally explode with rage if he did. Their duets were getting even better and whenever they sang together they left the rest of the group totally speechless. Of course Rachel could very well do that on her own but she always felt that Finn gave her that extra spark to really set off the fireworks.

Kurt suddenly caught her attention.

"I have something I'd like to say." He stood up with an intense look on his face. "I want to audition for the Wicked solo."

Rachel's eyes shot over to Mr Shue. She knew he had a habit of randomly attempting to destroy her career whenever it suited him but surely he wouldn't take away another of her solos.

"Kurt, there's a high F in it." Mr Shue looked dubious. Good, Rachel adored this song and it seemed Mr Shue was finally going to be on her side.

"That's well within my range." Cat calls from the club and suddenly she feared that everyone would back him up. She sneaked a glance at Finn, who was staring at her intently, almost apologetically, before Quinn caught him in the ribs with her elbow.

"Well I think Rachel's gonna be fine for the female lead, but I'm happy to have you try out something else Kurt... and we'll make sure that it's got a killer high note." Mr Shue put an end to the discussion and Kurt sat back down. Rachel suddenly felt guilty. It wasn't like her to feel guilty for getting a part that she _knew_ she deserved but she couldn't help it, Kurt had looked so dejected. Was he feeling the way that she had felt when Mr Shue had given Tina her solo?

The rest of the rehearsal had felt tainted as Kurt hadn't cheered up at all and most of the group were even colder to her than usual. Except for Finn. They didn't speak but she caught him smiling at her on the odd occasion. Singing their duet was the highlight of her afternoon but they didn't get the tumultuous applause that they had gotten used to.

Rachel took extra long packing up her things, as she did most days, in case today happened to be one of those rare occasions when Finn would stay back after rehearsal to talk to her privately. He seemed to have a lot on his mind these days and she was sure he didn't think about her as much as she thought about him. Half of the time she felt ridiculous thinking about him so often but she had stopped trying to fight it a long time ago.

She was actually shocked to look up and find him standing there in the empty room, staring at her. Looks like today _was_ going to be one of those days after all.

* * *

**AN:** Okay I feel like I should warn anyone who is actually reading that this is going to be a relatively slow story [a whole chapter where they don't even speak to each other?] and they're not gonna run off into the sunset together by chapter 3, so if that bothers you then I apologise! [Also sorry it was quite short but more coming soon :)]


	3. Smiling Again

**AN: **Thank you to everyone who has submitted a review :) Like I said before, slow and steady will win this race and soon things will become AU and stuff will be revealed differently in this story than it was in the show. But for now let's keep it simple :)

* * *

RACHEL

**4:33pm**

Rachel had never fainted before but she was sure she could feel it coming. Her head was spinning and there was a loud ringing in her ears. She stumbled backwards until she found a chair and sat down. What was it he had said? _Rachel, we need to talk._ Talk about what? _Us._ That was when it had all gone a bit blurry. She knew he'd said more but she couldn't place the words. She remembered how close he had gotten to her, feeling his breath on her face. It had taken her a moment to realise she had stopped breathing and that was when the ringing had started.

Her heart skipped a beat when she felt Finn's hand on her forehead.

"Rachel, are you alright? You looked like you were gonna fall down or something." Her eyes were closed but she heard him sit down beside her. Almost instinctually she leaned against him. Reality was seeping back into the room and the ringing in her ears lessened.

"Yeah, I'm okay. I just felt a bit dizzy that's all."

* * *

FINN

**4:30pm**

Rachel looked shocked to see him standing there waiting for her. They had barely spoken since that day at her house but he had tried his best to be nice, smiling at her whenever he thought Quinn wasn't looking. It wasn't that he was actively trying to avoid Rachel, it was more that he was desperate not to irritate Quinn any further. The constant put downs were starting to make him weary and being around Rachel was the only thing that made him smile anymore.

He made his way over to her, still unsure as to what exactly he was going to say. He felt an urge to wrap his arms around her but decided against it.

"Rachel, we need to talk." He got as close to her as he possibly could without actually touching her. He figured the closer he was to her, the less likely he would be to turn and run out of the room.

"Talk about what?" Her big brown eyes were staring up at him, brimming with expectation. _Good question_, he thought. Images of all the times they had spent together flickered through his brain as he searched for an answer.

"Us." He thought he saw her wobble slightly but he shrugged it off, determined to say what was on his mind.

"I can't stop thinking about you Rachel. It's driving me crazy and I know how messed up it is, I'm sorry for that. But I've realised recently that the only times I've really been happy were with you because you bring it out of me. All the good stuff. I'm tired of staying away from you Rachel, it's just not worth it." He paused, waiting to gauge her reaction.

He saw her breath hitch in her throat. Had she stopped breathing? Another wobble and suddenly she was sitting down with her eyes closed.

He immediately put his hand to her forehead. Unsure as to how warm a person was actually supposed to be, he put his hand to own forehead to compare. She _seemed_ okay.

"Rachel, are you alright? You looked like you were gonna fall down or something." He sat beside her and noticed that she instantly leaned into him. He felt another urge to hug her but he pushed it back down.

"Yeah, I'm okay. I just felt a bit dizzy that's all."

"Oh. Okay. Good." Silence hung in the air. He decided to wait until she had composed herself enough to say something.

She sighed quietly and opened her eyes. "I'm sorry things are so hard for you, Finn. We're friends but you know that's all we can be, right? You're having a baby..." He thought he heard her voice crack and was worried that he'd made her cry, _again._

"Yeah, I know. But I need you, you drown out all the crap in my life and make me feel normal. It's like everything's alright when I'm with you." He reached down and took her hand in his, letting them dangle in the space between the chairs. "All I'm asking is that you continue being Rachel and I'll do my best to just be Finn. Can we do that?"

"I think that'll work." She smiled and he felt the calm he had been talking about wash over him.

* * *

RACHEL

After her conversation with Finn in the choir room, Rachel had made her excuses and left. What she desperately needed was some fresh air and room to think.

He didn't mean to mess her around. She wouldn't even use the phrase "mess around her around" because that implied that he wasn't completely honest with her. They both knew the situation they were in but the problem was in figuring out what to do next. Staying away from each other wouldn't work but being so close to him and not having him was tearing her apart. They had to find a way that they could both be happy and she had always known that she could never be happy without him in her life. Apparently that was something that Finn had come to realise too. What was the phrase he had used? _ Everything's alright when I'm with you._

She decided to walk home today and relished having full control over her senses again. She quietly thanked god that she hadn't actually fainted in front of Finn but the sensation had made her feel sick. It was times like now that Rachel wished she had a friend to confide in. All her life she'd been going through things alone and it hadn't bothered her much before. Her dads were superb and she had no problem pouring her heart out to either of them, but she still longed for someone her own age to give her some advice now and then.

She got home later than usual because her legs hadn't really become very useful until she had reached the end of her street. The first thing she noticed was a note taped to her front door.

_Dearest Rachel,_

_Dinner is in the microwave as your father decided to surprise me with a romantic evening out. We were contemplating inviting you to come out with us when a young man arrived on the doorstop and practically begged us to let him in to wait for you. So he is inside waiting for you._

_ Love Dad_

Wait, someone is waiting for her? _Who?_ She knew who it was before she'd even finished the thought. He must've taken the bus while she spent half an hour walking.

She took the note down and opened the door. Finn was sitting on the stairs, seemingly counting the flowers on the wallpaper. He stood up when he heard her come in and smiled that lopsided smile that had always totally floored her.

"I was gonna follow you out the door but I thought you might want that time to think or something so I figured I'd wait." He was still smiling at her and she couldn't help but smile back, despite her total and utter confusion.

"Okay. But... why exactly?" She started to head toward the kitchen to get her dinner out of the microwave but had barely taken a step before Finn grabbed her round the waist and pulled her into a bone crushing hug. She breathed him in and closed her eyes. She had forgotten how good it could feel.

"I've wanted to do that all day. I'll let you eat your dinner now, it's macaroni and cheese. I actually helped to make it. Well, I grated the cheese. Anyway, I'll see you tomorrow?" Finn's voice sounded ten times louder than usual with her ear to his chest and she felt it rumble as he spoke. He pulled away and she noticed that he looked happier than she'd seen him in weeks.

"Yes. You will see me tomorrow." She laughed softly and pushed him out the door.


	4. Confusion

**AN: **It seems Puck is an extremely hard character for me to write so I'd like to apologise for that in advance. I could've done it better but I find it hard to get into his brain... Also this will be the last chapter with any direct quotes from the episode in it, (with the exception of the diva-off scene which will have some quotes but not go down the same) Things will play out differently from here on (you can consider these four chapters set up to the story as it will develop from now).

Thanks again to everyone who has submitted a review :)

* * *

FINN

"You're late." Puck was leaning against a railing with a sullen expression on his face.

"Yeah, well I had stuff to do, I'm not your slave." Finn had considered not even coming but the last thing he needed was to have Puck pissed at him too. He looked around and noticed the other guys were nowhere in sight.

"Where is everyone?"

Puck glared him. "They had... _stuff_ to do."

"Well I'm not buying you beer so you can just sit out here and get drunk alone. You can find some other freakishly tall person to do that for you." Finn turned to walk away and felt something hard smash into the back of his head. He spun round to see Puck brandishing... were those nunchucks? That was the second time today Puck had assaulted his head. He was starting to take it personally.

"What the hell was that?!" He made to grab Puck's collar but he dodged out the way. Seeing him stumble back over to the railings Finn realised Puck was already drunk. He reached up and felt blood trickling down the back of his neck. Things had turned very weird, very fast.

"I'm sick of it! Why do you get everything?! You just don't give a crap about anyone but yourself do you?!" Puck was swinging his nunchucks around haphazardly as if to look threatening but in his current state it was just slightly ridiculous.

"What are you even talking about? You made me fucking bleed, you dick." Finn's patience was waning. He was used to Puck's sudden mood swings whenever he got drunk and he didn't have the energy today.

Puck's face fell. "I don't get it. What the hell is wrong with me? I saw you with her, you know. Rachel. Holding hands. You thought no one was there didn't you? Well I forgot my freaking jacket so I came back to get it. You're having a _baby_, dude. With _Quinn_. Do you have any idea how lucky you are?" His words were starting to slur together and his sentence trailed off into mumbles.

"We're just friends..." Finn realised how pathetic he sounded. No one knew how much Rachel meant to him, he hadn't completely worked it out for himself yet. His head was thumping but he didn't want to leave Puck without explaining himself first. Not in the state he was in now, heaven knows what he might do.

"Whatever. I don't give a shit anymore. Ruin your life if you want but don't drag her down with you." Puck slumped down to the floor.

"Rachel can handle herself."

"I wasn't talking about Rachel." Puck stared up at him earnestly. Something flickered in the back of Finn's mind but he pushed it away.

"Give me your nunchucks." He held his hand out and waited while Puck glared at him before giving them up. "You can have them back tomorrow. If you sober up in time for school."

He left Puck sitting in a heap on the floor.

* * *

RACHEL

Why did bad things always happen to her? As soon as one part of life sorted itself out, another was thrown up in the air.

"Now, all of you are gonna judge. And in the spirit of full access each of you is going to get a vote. Whatever singer has the most votes, gets the part." Mr Shue seemed to think his plan was genius. She may have felt bad for Kurt originally when he'd asked to audition for the Wicked solo but she was _given_ that part. And now she was going to lose it.

"This isn't gonna be about talent. Mr Shuester, it's gonna be a popularity contest." Given the choice between Rachel and Kurt, she knew who the majority of glee club would vote. In fact, there was only vote she could actually count on.

"Stop right there. Mr Shue, if I may?" Kurt waltzed in front of the group without even waiting for a response. "We all know I'm more popular than Rachel... and I dress better than her. But I want you all to promise me that you're going to vote for whoever sings the song better."

Murmurs and nods of agreement came from the group and Kurt sat back down. Rehearsal then continued on a lighter note with Mr Shue introducing a new number for the group. Proud Mary in wheelchairs.

An hour later and Rachel had bruises up and down her arms. Apparently dancing in a wheelchair was much harder than it looked and people had been crashing into each other all afternoon. Rachel had gotten it the worst because one of the wheels on her chair was wobbly and she found it very difficult to control.

She stayed behind after rehearsal to see if she could fix it but she wasn't having any luck before Finn came over to help her.

"There's your problem. You just had a bent push-ring." He snapped the wheel back into place. "Good as new!"

"Thanks Finn, you're the only one who was willing to help me... I'm really nervous about the diva off."

"Don't be." He looked over at her with the lopsided smile that always gave her goosebumps.

"I don't want to win out of charity. I want to win the solo because it's right for the club. I really think that the judges at Sectionals will find a female version of Defying Gravity much more accessible. But... I don't think that's gonna happen. People just don't like me." She looked down at her hands, resigning herself to the fact that she was never going to be as popular as the rest. She knew her talent was the only reason everyone tolerated her and most of the time she could never really figure out why.

"Yeah, you might wanna work on that." They both nodded silently to themselves. "I like you."

Even though he'd said as much before, she was always taken aback by his honesty. Finn had a way of making her feel special, even when she was at her lowest, with just the simplest of words. She could feel the butterflies in her stomach fluttering restlessly as he gazed into her eyes. It was over in a second after they heard loud footsteps and an angry voice come charging into the room.

"We need to talk." It was Quinn and she was not pleased.

"I'll get out of your way." Rachel stood up to leave but Quinn pushed her back into her seat.

"No, you stay. I need a witness." She thrust an envelope into Finn's hands. "Do you know what this is? If this sonogram bill doesn't get paid _you_ will get cut off. You need to help me with this Finn, or else we're gonna go our separate ways."

She stormed out of the room angrier than when she'd come in.

Rachel looked over to Finn who was staring blankly into space. "I'm screwed." He seemed to be talking to no one in particular.

An idea flashed into Rachel's mind as she looked down at her fixed wheelchair and smiled. "Not necessarily..."


	5. Discovery

**AN: **This chapter makes me sad. That's really all I have to say :(

* * *

FINN

_He heard his knuckles crack as they smashed down onto the face of his former best friend. Finn could see Puck was bleeding through the haze of red that clouded his eyes and his judgement. More cracks and this time he wasn't sure if he'd broken a finger or Puck's face. He didn't care, he just kept punching. Suddenly his arms were ripped from his sides as he was flanked by Mike and Matt, pulling him away from the bleeding mess he'd left on the floor. Maybe the hallway wasn't the best place to start laying into someone but Finn was out of control. Three minutes ago he had really thought things were looking up._

**THREE MINUTES EARLIER**

Finn had never felt more grateful to Rachel in his life. He was finally able to give Quinn some money now that she had gotten him an office job. It sucked to have to be in a wheelchair for most of his Saturdays but her idea of threatening to bring the full force of the American Civil Liberties Union down on them if they didn't hire him was brilliant. He felt for the envelope stuffed with cash in his pocket for the fourth time, just checking it was still there and still real. His mom had given him an advance on his paycheck now that he'd managed to get a job and he knew exactly where it was going. He was finally ready to step up and be the man that Quinn had wanted him to be.

He was desperate to find her and tell her the good news. He hadn't seen her in his Spanish class that morning but he knew she was in school because he'd caught a glimpse of her at lunch rushing off to Cheerios practise. It was the end of the day and he didn't want to wait until tomorrow. He almost considered going to her house to wait for her after school but he had a ton of homework that he knew he shouldn't put off any longer. He was careening down the halls looking for her when he heard her voice coming from an empty classroom.

"_I told you before. I don't care if that baby comes out with a mohawk, I will go to my grave swearing it's Finn's."_

Finn would readily admit that it took him more than a few moments to truly grasp what was being said. _Why would his baby have a mohawk? Who is she talking to?_ He heard Puck's voice next, almost as if in answer to his mental question.

"_It would be pretty awesome if it came out with a mohawk."_

He heard her giggle and that's when everything turned red. He almost started beating up an unlucky freshman who happened to look at him right at that second but instead settled for screaming _WHAT?! _in his poor confused face. He knew that they'd heard his outburst. Everyone in the hall had been stunned into silence and he could hear their footsteps coming out of the classroom. He decided to leave before he did something he'd regret but felt a hand on his shoulder stopping him.

"Dude?" Puck had barely uttered the word before Finn had spun round and started punching his face off.

After being yanked back by the full force of two football players, and it really had taken every ounce of strength they had to pull him off, Finn was lost. He stood there staring at Puck, broken and bleeding on the floor. He saw Quinn approach him, tears streaming down her face. He didn't have the energy to say anything to her, barely hearing the words she was speaking to him.

"Finn? Finn, what happened?" She looked confused.

Why was _she _confused? He was the one being kept in the dark. He was the one whose whole life was being turned upside down. Tears pricked in his eyes but he refused to let them develop. He wouldn't give her the satisfaction.

"Why...?" He could feel his voice cracking. He wanted to say more. _Why did you do this to me? What did I ever do to deserve this?_ _How __**could**__ you?_

She put her hand on his arm and he pulled away, repulsed by her touch. He didn't want an explanation. He didn't want to be here, standing between his broken best friend and his shamed girlfriend. He desperately wanted to be somewhere else. With someone else. He had to find Rachel.

* * *

RACHEL

She was confused. No, not confused. Rachel Berry was bewildered. Is there a stronger word than bewildered? Because she couldn't explain what she was feeling right now. She hadn't been able to get a single coherent sentence out of Finn since he'd come stumbling into her room thirty-five minutes ago. His face was red, blotchy and streaked with tears. All he did was fall down onto her bed and into her arms, crying as if his whole world had been destroyed. She had given up asking him what was wrong and focused instead on comforting him and waiting until he was ready to speak. Her first thought had been that someone had died. He seemed so utterly lost in his despair. Her second thought went to the baby. She knew how attached he had become to his unborn daughter and if something terrible had happened she could only imagine how it would make him feel.

As a thousand scenarios played out in her head, all more terrible than the next, she began to cry herself. Seeing him like this was tearing her apart. She wanted to help but could do nothing to stop him from crying. She just held him gently as his tears soaked through her black sweater and seeped onto her shirt underneath. She sang quietly under her breath.

_Smile though your heart is aching _

_Smile even though it's breaking _

_When there are clouds in the sky you'll get by_

She felt him move in her arms. His breathing slowed slightly and he placed his head against her chest. She carried on with the song that always cheered her up when she was sad.

_If you smile through your pain and sorrow _

_Smile and maybe tomorrow _

_You'll see the sun come shining through _

_For you_

He stopped crying and sat up in front of her. The look on his face absolutely broke her heart. Something had broken him and she still had absolutely no idea what.

Before she could say anything, he kissed her. It was deep, passionate and full of desperation and need. Any other day and she would've welcomed it. She could already feel herself falling into his kiss, leaning into him as he grabbed her waist and pulled her towards him. But she knew she had to stop him. Something was wrong and she needed to be there for him as a friend before anything else.

She put both hands on his chest and pushed as hard as she could. It was a struggle because he appeared to be clinging onto her for dear life but he let go once he realised what she was doing.

"Sorry." He looked like he was about to burst into tears again as he spoke. "I shouldn't have done that. I just wanted to feel something real. You're Rachel and I'm Finn, right? That's still real?"

She reached over and stroked his face.

"I'll always be here. But will you tell me what on earth is going on?"


	6. Revelation

**AN: **My longest chapter to date. I think once I get inside Finn's head, I just can't get out again. It always feels like he has so much more to say [and no I don't think he's actually an airhead XD]

P.S. THIS IS NOT THE END.

* * *

FINN

He could tell that he was worrying her. What must she be thinking? It wasn't exactly normal behaviour for him to randomly burst into someone's bedroom and collapse onto their bed. He had run full pelt to her house from school, his legs had been burning by the time he got there. He'd never run so fast in his life. Part of it was running away from what he'd just discovered but most of it was running towards her. Rachel, the one person he needed more than anything. Her dads had been pretty cool about letting him go upstairs and into her room unsupervised. He didn't remember exactly which emotion he'd been feeling when they had opened the door to him; whether it was rage, confusion or despair, but they had merely stepped out of his way and told him that she was upstairs.

He had planned to say something. To talk through his feelings the way that everyone tells you to. He had wanted to say so much to her but the second he saw her face everything that he had been holding back since he'd heard Quinn say those words came crashing down on him. He cried so hard he didn't think he would ever stop. The pain was overwhelming and his thoughts were a blur. The past few months flashed through his mind at lightning speed. He remembered the day Quinn had told him that she was pregnant and how it had felt like his entire reason for living had shifted; he was going to be a father and that would be the most important thing that Finn Hudson would ever do. He remembered the way Puck would tease her about it and how she would just let him when she wouldn't dream of letting anyone else tease her without a good beating. He remembered how Rachel had slapped him when she'd heard the news and just how upset she'd been that he hadn't told her. He remembered Quinn berating him about getting a job and he remembered Puck's words from the other night: _Do you have any idea how lucky you are? _He hadn't felt lucky at the time. He wanted to be a good dad, he wanted to be everything that his father had never gotten the chance to be, but it had felt so wrong. He was too young and the pressure was too much. Everything had just been too much.

But now it was all gone. His baby was not, in fact, _his_ baby at all. His girlfriend was no longer his girlfriend and his best friend may as well be dead for all he cared. And he felt so empty without them all. As much as he had wished that Quinn had never gotten pregnant, he had grown to love the baby unconditionally. As much as Quinn had hurt him with her words, she was a huge part of his life and as frustrating as Puck had become, they had been friends since they were both twelve.

So he let the pain take control and cried in Rachel's arms. He hadn't heard her when she had asked what was wrong and he hadn't heard her ten minutes later when she had asked again. He couldn't hear anything over the sound of his own sobs. In the back of his mind he was trying to be rational, trying to stop himself from crying and actually speak to the girl holding him so sweetly. He was vaguely aware of how wet her sweater had become thanks to his tears but he didn't have any room left inside for feeling bad. He was sure she wouldn't mind. Despite being known as bossy, conceited and self centered, Rachel was one of the most selfless people that Finn had ever met. He would have to find some way to thank her for this.

Suddenly a sound pierced through the darkness inside him. He wasn't sure if he was imagining it but it was soft, gentle and the sweetest sound he had ever heard. For a split second he considered the idea that he had actually died of a broken heart and was being sung to by an angel but snapped out of it and realised that it was Rachel singing. Close enough.

He instinctively placed his head on her chest. He wanted to hear her voice and her heartbeat, to be as close to her as possible. The tears stopped flowing and he sat up to face her. He noticed she had been crying too and he felt something powerful as he looked into her eyes. He didn't recognise it but he liked it. It was warm and made him feel less broken than before. He knew a part of it was the deep admiration that he always felt when he looked at Rachel. He could also identify quite easily the feeling of longing in the pit of his stomach that she provoked in him as it was the reason he was so often overcome with the urge to just reach out and touch her. As she stared back into his eyes, her face confused and contorted with worry for him, it felt as though someone had opened the drapes and sun had come pouring into the room. Suddenly he saw what he had known all along but hadn't allowed himself to realise. He was in love with her.

The second he knew it, the urge overcame all his other senses. He kissed her with every emotion he had. It was strong like the rage he could still feel burning inside him and desperate like the love he had only just realised. If he knew anything at that moment, he knew he didn't want to stop. He would kiss her until the world came crashing down around him and then he'd kiss her some more. But there were hands on his chest and she was pushing him away so he reluctantly let go.

"Sorry." He panicked. As amazing and powerful as his revelation had felt, he hadn't taken into account the idea that perhaps she didn't feel the same way. He could feel the tears returning as he wondered if she could possibly love him back. "I shouldn't have done that. I just wanted to feel something real. You're Rachel and I'm Finn, right? That's still real?"

He felt shivers run down his spine as she reached over and stroked his cheek.

"I'll always be here. But will you tell me what on earth is going on?" She smiled softly but it didn't reach her eyes. She was still worried and probably even more confused now. As desperate as he was to tell her that he loved her and just forget about everything that had happened prior to the moment he had realised that, he knew she needed an explanation.

He closed his eyes to compile his thoughts. He furiously beat down the urge to cry as it began to seep up again and forced himself to the say the words.

"Puck is the father of Quinn's baby."

* * *

RACHEL

She stared at him for what seemed like hours. He had started to cry again but quieter this time and he stayed sitting up instead of lying down. She was so shocked that she didn't even have the power to move her hand to pat him on the shoulder.

After the shock subsided it was replaced with fury. A blinding, piercing fury that ran from the tips of her fingers to the very core of her being. Who the _**hell**_ does Quinn think she is?! Rachel looked at Finn and he seemed smaller somehow, like a child. Quinn had given him something amazing and ripped it from him at the last minute. She had destroyed the most beautiful person that Rachel had ever known and she was most certainly going to _pay _for it.

But looking at Finn she knew that revenge was the last thing on his mind at the moment. She filed it away in the back of her mind, reminding herself to sit down later when she was alone and think about it some more.

Then Rachel had a thought.

"How do you know it's his?" Had Quinn taken a paternity test? Had she merely done the math and worked it out?

Finn's look of pain and sadness turned to embarrassment. He whispered his reply, almost as if he didn't want her to hear it.

"We didn't even have sex..." He looked at his hands and rubbed his knees awkwardly. He was sitting cross legged in front of her now, clearly able to talk but she knew she would have to be careful to keep him that way.

"But then... how did you think..." Rachel was muttering to herself, trying to come up with answers in her head instead of forcing him to say anything outloud.

"We were in a hot tub. There was an... incident. She said you could pregnant that way. I guess I always thought there was something off about it, I just didn't want to believe that she'd lie to me about something so important and I mean she's Quinn, head of the celibacy club, obviously there was no other way she could possibly get preg-" He'd been talking incredibly fast and she assumed he had been trying to say it all before he broke down again, which he did before he had even finished his sentence.

She reached out to hold him again but he shrugged her off.

"Rachel, there's something I need to say." He grabbed her by the shoulders, forcing her to look into his eyes. He really didn't need to because she couldn't look away from him even if she wanted to. He had a look of determination on his face and the pain appeared to be dissipating. He was starting to look like Finn again.

"You can tell me anything, Finn." She felt as though she were hypnotised by his unblinking gaze.

"I want you to promise me. Promise me that you'll never leave me. It's all gone, everything's gone now and all that's left is you and I couldn't bear it Rachel, I couldn't bear it if you left me. I know I've been terrible to you but it's all going to be different now. No distractions, just you and me and us and I can't do it without you." Tears streaked down his face but he continued to stare at her.

She was overwhelmed and shook her head slightly to clear her mind. Finn's face fell and he looked down at the floor. She quickly realised he must've taken her movement as a no.

"I promise!" She grabbed his face and turned it towards her. "I promise, a hundred times I promise."

And then she kissed him.


	7. The Morning After The Night Before

FINN

Finn did not want to be in school today. His mom had already told him that he could have the day off if he wanted and he would've gladly taken her up on the offer if it hadn't been for one thing: Rachel. He was still reeling from the kiss that she had given him last night. It hadn't lasted very long because he had burst into tears once again. His emotions had been all over the place, still crushed by his discovery that he wasn't the father of Quinn's baby but deliriously happy with what had happened with Rachel. His tears were full of both sadness and joy and the entire evening had begun to completely overwhelm him. Her fathers had come in shortly after that to check everything was okay and they'd given him a lift home. His mom had been ready to tear him a new one for not telling her where he'd been for so long but she listened patiently as he told her the whole story. She cursed a bit and teared up towards the end, angry with Quinn for what she had done to her son but happy that he'd finally found someone special and worthy of his attention. He'd probably only slept for about three hours but he knew he'd drag himself to school if it killed him.

He skipped all of his morning classes because those were the ones he had with either Quinn or Puck. He wasn't ready to face them yet although he wasn't sure if they had come in today at all. He roamed about the halls searching for Rachel, knowing she had to be there somewhere, but was getting frustrated by the group of freshmen who had decided to follow him around. The story of what had happened the day before had spread like wildfire and the entire school seemed to be getting up in his business. Some people looked at him with pity and others with awe. Finn had always had a temper but he'd never really beaten someone up before and he assumed this had impressed some of the younger kids who were fascinated by fights. He also noticed some people seemed scared of him now and he wondered what Rachel would think when she heard about what he did. He hadn't told her that part of the story and it was only in thinking about her reaction that he began to feel ashamed.

Lunch came and went and he still hadn't found her. He knew she'd be in biology but Quinn would be there too. His desire to see her was greater than his fear of seeing Quinn, and what that might do to him, so he decided to go and promised himself that he'd look at no one but Rachel.

He took his seat in the back of class and tried not to watch the door. He was ten minutes early and he didn't have any of his books but learning was the last thing on his mind. As his classmates began to filter into the room they all stopped to stare at him, probably wondering why he'd chosen this lesson to actually attend today. He looked down at his hands trying to focus on them and avoid seeing who exactly was walking into the room. He was sure if he caught Quinn's eye that he'd either start crying like a girl or feel an urge to punch someone again. He could feel his eyes drooping as the lack of sleep he'd gotten last night began to take it's toll.

"Finn?" He looked up as Rachel sat down beside him. "I didn't think you'd be in school today, I would've come to find you sooner if I'd known."

She looked concerned. He didn't want her to be concerned, he wanted her to be happy. He only ever wanted Rachel to be happy.

"You really thought I'd miss your big moment? Nothing could keep me from seeing you win that solo, you deserve it." He smiled his first genuine smile of the day as the feeling of uneasiness that had been brewing all morning started to dissipate now that he'd found her.

"Oh god. The diva off. I completely forgot! I haven't even prepared for it, I was going to do that last night..." Her voice trailed off as if she was afraid to mention it.

"Yeah, sorry about that. But I'm sure you'll be great Rachel. You're always great." He saw a flash of blonde hair in his peripheral vision and willed himself not to turn and see who'd just come in. He heard Mrs Hancock come in a few moments later and Rachel opened her pad ready to take notes, throwing him a grateful smile in the process.

Biology flew by quicker than he wanted. He spent the entire lesson just staring at Rachel as she wrote furiously, making sure to take down every word spoken. A few times he was tempted to pass her a note and start up a conversation but he was enjoying just watching her. Now that he understood all the feelings he felt when he looked at her he didn't feel any shame in staring. As he gazed at her he wondered how he'd gone so long thinking they were just friends. He knew he was attracted to her, as any person with eyes should be, but he had thought it was just his crazy teenage hormones doing all the talking. He used to focus on her lips or boobs or butt, marvelling at just how incredible her body really was but now he looked at her face, taking it all in. Had her eyelashes always been that long? He had an urge to kiss them but decided that might go down better later when they were alone instead of in a classroom full of students, who he was sure were still watching him. He noticed a slight scar she had on her forehead and reached out to stroke it, wanting to ask where she got it. She grabbed his hand before it touched her face and just held it on the table as she continued taking notes. He found the look of deep concentration on her face both amusing and strangely sexy. She obviously didn't want to be disturbed while she was working.

The bell rang and shook him out of the daze he'd found himself in. For the past hour he hadn't thought of anything but Rachel and it was absolutely blissful. Now everyone was moving and making noise around him and all the thoughts he'd pushed out of his mind came tumbling back in. He looked towards the front of the room for the first time since he'd come in and instantly wished he hadn't. Quinn was seated a few rows in front of him with her head on Brittany's shoulder. She was crying. He felt an urge to scream at her, something about not having the right to cry when it was all her fault, but Rachel pulled him up from his seat at that moment and dragged him from the room.

"What lesson have you got now?" She stopped in front of her locker to put her biology books away.

"Umm, gym I think. I'm not gonna go though." Puck would be there. If he could even move his legs this morning.

"You can help me then. I have English but we're reading Hamlet and I know it back to front so I think now would be a perfect time to rehearse. I need to be ready this afternoon, if I'm not absolutely perfect then there's no way I'll get a majority vote and I don't think I could stand to see _everyone_ vote against me." She brushed her hair behind her ear and folded her arms across her chest, pouting slightly.

"Well you've already got my vote." He unfolded her arms and took her hand in his, leading her towards the auditorium.

* * *

RACHEL

Rachel spent twenty minutes warming up her vocal chords as Finn sat at the piano playing random notes. She was finding it hard to concentrate as she stared at the back of his head. She'd been on her guard with him all afternoon, absolutely terrified that at any moment he would realise that last night had been a mistake and he didn't really want to be with her. She was trying not to get her hopes up but he was making it difficult. He had such love in his eyes whenever he looked at her.

He just sat mesmerized as she went through Defying Gravity three times before the bell rang.

She walked over to the piano and sat down beside him. They had a few minutes before they had to be at glee club and she was growing tired of resisting him. She reached up and ran her fingers through his hair. He turned to smile at her and touched her forehead.

"Where did you get this scar?" He was running his finger up and down the small indentation.

"Oh, that. I fell off the junior training beam when I was 7 and hit my head on someone's shoe. Very embarrassing." She moved her hand down and rested it on the back of his neck.

"I think it's sexy." He leaned over and kissed her where his fingers had been moments ago.

The closeness lit a fire inside her and she pulled his head down to kiss him frantically. She tangled her fingers up his hair and felt his hands reaching around her back, pulling her closer. She felt something wet on her face and realised he was crying again. She started to pull away but he held her close to him.

"It's okay Rachel, I'm just happy. You make me happy." He smiled at her and she felt her heart beating furiously in her chest.

"We have to get to glee anyway. I know it'll be hard but I won't leave you. I promise." She kissed his tear stained cheek and they got up, wrapping their arms around each other as they walked out of the auditorium.

* * *

**AN: **Next chapter, the diva off! Quinn & Puck will be there, but no more tears I promise. I don't like making Finn cry, it makes my heart hurt XD


	8. The Diva Off

RACHEL

Finn had stopped dead in the hallway. Rachel saw the back of Puck's head disappearing into the choir room and Finn was obviously regretting coming. She turned to look up at him, trying to draw his attention down to her and away from where they were about to go.

"Focus. Don't let them ruin your life, Finn. You love glee and you should be able to do what you love without worrying about who's gonna be there." He smiled slightly but still looked worried.

"I love _you_ Rachel. Glee's just a bonus." He leaned down and kissed her gently before leading her into the choir room.

Her heart fluttered slightly and she was about to say _I love you too _but Finn was already sitting down in the very corner of the room, pushing her towards the centre for her big performance. She wanted to run into his arms and never let go but she focused on what she was about to do, standing in the middle of the room and taking stock of everyone around her. She saw Quinn sitting on the other side of the piano sandwiched between Brittany and Santana with Puck sitting just in front of her next to Artie. Rachel had heard that Finn had handled the news badly at school and had punched Puck, but she hadn't heard that he had practically _destroyed _his face. Puck had two black eyes, a fat lip and tape across what was an obviously broken nose. His left eyebrow had a huge gash in it and his entire face had turned purple. She suddenly felt bad for him but it vanished in an instant when she saw him give Finn the dirtiest look she'd ever seen. Luckily Finn hadn't noticed because he was staring intently at Rachel and nowhere else. Quinn's face was red and her eyes were puffy from all the crying she had probably been doing today. She wanted to feel bad for Quinn and she was trying to understand why she had done it but the memory of Finn in her arms last night kept forcing it's way to the front of her mind and she just couldn't wrap her head around it. The very idea of doing something so _cruel _to someone like Finn was unfathomable to her. It wasn't even that she had cheated on him, although Rachel thought she was pretty crazy just for that. It was the concept of looking in his innocent, trusting face every day and being able to just lie to him. Be _horrible_ to him, for something that was never even his concern. Rachel had no pity left for Quinn.

She stood in the middle of the room waiting while the rest of the glee club shuffled in one by one. She heard Mercedes gasp when she saw Puck's face and Tina just stood in shock for a moment before going to sit on Artie's armrest. Matt and Mike came in together and then separated, Mike going to sit with Puck and Matt going to sit with Finn. She appreciated the gesture, glad that someone wanted to sit next to him other than her.

Mr Shuester came in looking slightly worried and he went straight over to Finn before doing anything else.

"Are you sure you wanna be here, Finn? You don't have to stay if you don't want to." Obviously Mr Shue had heard about what happened as well. She wondered for a moment why Finn wasn't in any trouble for getting into a fight in the hallway but figured Mr Shue had put in a good word for him with Figgins. He was practically like a father to Finn.

"I'm fine, thanks. I'm here for Rachel." Finn didn't take his eyes off her as he spoke and Mr Shue took note of the distance between him and Puck and decided to let him stay.

"Okay, well we'll start with Rachel then." Mr Shue nodded to her and went to stand by the piano.

She looked around the room at everyone's faces. Quinn, still teary eyed and Puck still bruised. Kurt looked worried and Mercedes looked fierce. She settled for staring at Finn, who looked tense but was smiling at her. She began to sing with every ounce of emotion that she had.. She thought about the last few months of her life as she sang the lyrics.

_Something has changed within me_  
_Something is not the same_  
_I'm through with playing by the rules_  
_Of someone else's game_  
_Too late for second-guessing_  
_Too late to go back to sleep_  
_It's time to trust my instincts_  
_Close my eyes and leap_

She thought about Finn and all that he'd been through the past few days. Something _had_ changed within her and she knew there was no turning back now. She had fallen head over heels for him and he needed her now more than ever.

_It's time to try defying gravity_  
_I think I'll try defying gravity_  
_Kiss me goodbye_  
_I am defying gravity_  
_And you wont bring me down_

She saw Finn mouthing the words as she sang, a look of pure amazement on his face. It made her feel warm inside and gave her a strength she barely knew she had.

_I'm through accepting limits_  
_'cause someone says they're so_  
_Some things I cannot change_  
_But till I try, I'll never know!_  
_Too long I've been afraid of_  
_Losing love I guess I've lost_  
_Well, if that's love_  
_It comes at much too high a cost_  
_I'd sooner buy defying gravity_  
_Kiss me goodbye_  
_I'm defying gravity_  
_I think I'll try defying gravity_  
_And you wont bring me down!_

Once she'd finished, everyone was stunned into silence. Finn was the first to start clapping, standing up to cheer, and soon everyone joined in (with the exception of Mercedes, who just stared at her best friend with a worried expression).

Kurt went next and Rachel had to admit he was good. He hit that high F flawlessly and the group were visibly impressed. She was a bit put off when he pointedly turned to look at her for the line _'you wont bring me down' _but Rachel wasn't one to hold grudges. Once he was finished, Mr Shue handed out slips of paper to everyone except Kurt and Rachel. She went and sat down next to Finn, taking his hand in hers. She saw him write RACHEL in block capitals on his paper, drawing a little heart in the corner. She stared at it, the cutest little heart she'd ever seen and turned to whisper in his ear.

"I love you too."

* * *

FINN

As tempted as he was to run screaming from the room the second he'd come in, he stayed for Rachel's sake. But Puck had caught him off guard. He knew he'd been angry but he didn't realise just _how_ angry until he saw the evidence. Thinking back to yesterday, he remembered that Puck hadn't fought back at all. He'd barely even held his hands up to shield the blows, he had just lay there taking it, allowing Finn to break his face. He contemplated that for a moment. Puck was never one to back down from a fight and he was certainly never one to let someone thrash him. If Puck felt _guilty_ for what had happened then maybe they stood a chance? Four years of friendship was a lot to just throw away over a girl. But then Finn remembered that it wasn't just over a girl, it was over _two _girls, and Puck had lied to him about the baby just as long as Quinn had. Maybe one day he'd be able to look past it and forgive him, but that was a long way off considering Finn still had the urge to beat his already beaten face to a pulp.

He smiled at Rachel who was now sitting beside him holding his hand as he wrote her name down on the little slip of paper Mr Shue had given him. Even if he wasn't outrageously in love with her, she still would've gotten his vote. She was fantastic. Thinking about just how much he adored her, he doodled a little heart in the corner of his paper. It was lopsided but he felt it represented them quite well, his messy little heart. She saw it and beamed at him before leaning over and whispering so quietly that he could barely hear her over the rabble of noise in the choir room. "_I love you too_." He was surprised by how much it affected him. He knew that he loved her as clearly as knew how to breathe but he hadn't really been sure of her feelings up until now. He didn't want to pressure her into anything which is why he hadn't waited for a reply earlier when he'd said it to her, instead letting her choose her own moment. The fact that that moment was right now, in a room full of people, whilst he was still reeling from her performance made him feel on top of the world.

He handed his vote to Mr Shue, who had already collected everyone else's, and they all sat waiting with baited breath as he counted them up. Mr Shue chuckled slightly to himself before turning to address the group.

"Well we have a winner. With six votes to four, the solo goes to... Rachel!"

Finn was stunned. He had thought she was the better of the two but was sure that everyone would vote against her out of spite. He turned to see her reaction and she looked frozen. He nudged her shoulder and she let out a surprised laugh. For the first time since he'd known her, she seemed to have been rendered totally speechless. Brittany was the first to start clapping, with Matt and Mike not far behind. Soon everyone was cheering and even Mercedes managed to clap slowly whilst looked like she was going to kill someone. Kurt didn't seem too bothered and even came over to congratulate her.

Once everyone was done patting Rachel on the back and consoling Kurt, they started to leave. Finn saw Quinn smiling quietly to herself as she left and curiosity got the better of him. He told Rachel to go on ahead of him and waited until everyone was out of the room before going over to the little stack of paper that Mr Shue had left on the piano. Sifting through them he quickly spotted Quinn's neat handwriting and suddenly he felt grateful to her for the first time in a long time. Written in tiny little swirly letters was the word _Rachel_. Hope swelled up in his chest as he considered the idea that maybe one day, things would be good again. He crumpled up the piece of paper and put it in his pocket before running into the hall to find Rachel.

* * *

**AN: **If anyone wants to know how the votes went, here you go:

Finn - Rachel [of course]  
Santana - Rachel  
Brittany - Rachel  
Matt - Rachel  
Mike - Rachel  
Quinn - Rachel  
Puck - Kurt  
Mercedes - Kurt  
Artie - Kurt  
Tina - Kurt

It may seem strange that I opted for all the 'cool kids' to vote for Rachel, but she was the better singer & in truth I think they want to win as much as the next person. Plus Matt & Mike were partially doing it out of loyalty to Finn, as was Quinn. Nearing the end now, but there is more to come :)


End file.
